Comedian Helps Perth Nurse Get Her Dream Holiday

Article by Amy Bradney-George

April 08, 2015 at 7:24 AM

A recent string of shows at Perth Fringe Festival saw comedian Luke Ryan spark more than just a few laughs from the audience.

Ryan’s latest focuses on his experience with childhood cancer, particularly his time at Princess Margaret Hospital in Perth. So when he had the opportunity to share his story with locals, it’s no surprise that many of the nurses who treated him in the 90s were there.

But one nurse, in particular, held a special spot in Ryan’s memory. Known only as “Faye”, she is talked about at length in both his book and his live comedy show, where Ryan recounts how he “stole” her dream holiday for his own Make-A-Wish Foundation request.

“She wanted to go to the Maldives, but couldn’t afford it,” Ryan recounts in a post on Facebook.

“I looked at the brochures she had with her one day and immediately decided that I was going to take her dream and make it a reality. For me.”

After sharing this story in Perth, word got back to Faye and she reached out to reconnect with him before seeing the show. During the set Ryan pointed out that she was in the crowd, apologised to her for “stealing” her holiday and beamed as the audience applauded her. But that’s when things got even more interesting.

“At the end of the show, a guy comes up to me and says “Did Faye ever get to the Maldives?”. I told him I didn’t think so,” Ryan says.

“He goes and finds her and when she confessed she’d never made it he says, “Look, I want to send you to the Maldives. I’ve got more money than I know what to do with and this is just something small I feel like I can do for someone who deserves it.””

Word has slowly spread of this good deed, although both Faye and the benevolent man remain relatively anonymous – even after local news site WA Today picked up the story. But Ryan’s Facebook page says Faye is finally going to the Maldives in December of this year.

“And so now, 18 years after the fact, and in the wake of hundreds of children with cancer whose lives she has enriched immeasurably, Faye is going to the Maldives this Christmas. I hope she sends me a picture,” he says.

Images: Luke Ryan during a set, source: YouTube; Luke Ryan at a book signing, source: Twitter.